They should have retrained those job-bank guys to do road work and fix the $%#% $ potholes in Detroit.
This is one of the weird areas that the Market is stuck.. Who the hell is going to start up a new company to replace the American Auto Industry?
Give me 25 million and hell I could prolly design and produce a kick ass line of cars..
Follow Henry Fords model too. make every part myself in the same factory..
Just look at the electronic/computer portion of most cars today. The RX8 computer costs 11 THOUSAND DOLLARS.. It's insanity. You can use a computer using off the shelf parts with a embedded unix O/S that is rock solid for alot of things.. Sure you would have to have some custom programming for some chips but other then that..
Hell, the sound systems in most cars today cost over 1,000 dollars and they sound horrible. You can get a better stereo/subwoofer combo from Walmart for around 300 dollars. Team up with Garmin to stick a GPS option in the line (the one that has a build in mp3 player) and the SD memory slot in the dash and make it all blend in nicely.. No Fing I-Drive from BMW with a little nob. Everything is touch screen.. No custom programming, just have to design a dash that imitates the windshield attachment.. I just saved myself 40,000 in research.
Replace the 40 miles of wiring with Cat5 cable. Copy old designs that work for the hundreds of sensors, use the simplest most elegant design you can, and be done with it..
Standardize, standardize, standardize. There is NO reason the Suspension has to be 100% custom from one car to the next.. You might have to put heavier shocks/struts/springs on a slightly heavier car for example
sure, (
Look at aftermarket adjustable shocks.. They're 40 times better then stock, but only cost about 100 dollars each. I can make a Honda corner like its on rails for 1/4 the cost of a dealer upgrade for a "sport suspension" )but use the same engine design for all cars, but increase power with a turbo option, more aggressive cam's, transmission ratios, or fuel management. Use an engine that is able to produce 240 hp on the top of the line model, but retard the timings so it produces 175hp on the lower cost cars.. Same parts, same engine, same transmission, just a different set of programing. Electronic Stability Control? Who needs it? It'd rather have a QUALITY set of tires on my car with a lower center of gravity.. Keep the Anti-lock breaks, Airbags, and other such things.. But the side airbags can be options...
You would also let drivers program their own computers for the younger high tech tuner crowd.
Boom.. An automatic following from the tuner's. Imagine what kind of following you'd get when you can hook up a laptop to the USB connection in your car and change settings yourself.. Of course, this would void your warranty, but you've already bought the car so go for it. But don't blame us if you blow it up.. sucker..
Then do my own financing. #$%^ the banks.. Screw their costs, screw their service fees. I'd offer 5% financing to everyone regardless of credit (except the total screw-ups of course), use a Saturn like pricing strategy, and then of course make sure you have only a few cars.. One sport coupe, one sport 4 door, and one higher line "Luxury" for the richy rich types. Keep the weight down for better gas mileage, and make damn sure it's easy to fix.
Sure, put some high quality plastic coverings and finishes on it.. But be creative with cost and material.. Avoid the Hyundai hard as a rock cheap crap, and you just designed yourself a decent car.
Ask any mechanic about the sheer idiot designs of these things and the moronic way they assemble cars.